One Health UK makes good with its first report on vector-borne disease surveillance.
According to WHO, we need a One Health Approach to tackle diseases which have animal and environmental links. Different entities must collaborate to achieve optimal health outcomes on a sustainable basis. It requires strategies and surveillance.
The UK's One Health strategy
The UK embarked on a One Health strategy in 2013. There are three main organisations:
- UK Health Security Agency (human health)
- Human Animal Infections and Risk Surveillance (animal health)
- Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (environmental health)
This all sounds very good but it only makes sense if we see it in practice!
The first surveillance report
In May 2026, One Health (UK) provided its first surveillance report. It provided details for the year 2025. The report is important reading for travel health providers and helps to quantify risk for several vector-borne diseases.
What is a vector-borne disease?
Vector-borne diseases are caused by viruses, parasites and bacteria which are transmitted to humans by intermediaries (vectors).
Mosquitoes, ticks and fleas are good examples of insects which are responsible for transmitting diseases from animals or humans to humans. Some of the common diseases include dengue fever, chikungunya, malaria and Lyme disease.
Unusual vector-borne diseases like tick-borne encephalitis, yellow fever and trypanosomiasis often crop up in the media.
Ebola virus disease is NOT a vector borne disease. Ebola is transmitted directly to humans. There is no vector. Hantavirus is NOT a vector-borne disease. Humans are mostly infected by breathing in airborne particles. These are both rare diseases in travellers.
An understanding of vector-borne disease is important for travellers.
Why this matters for travellers
The report is primarily aimed at vector-borne disease in the UK and what might happen with climate change in the future. Geographic expansion of certain mosquito species might result in "traveller diseases" becoming more common in Europe and the UK. This has already occurred with Chikungunya and West Nile virus in Europe. A few locally acquired cases of dengue fever have also been reported in France, Croatia and Spain.
What the report found
The report separated the locally acquired cases of vector-borne disease from those acquired abroad. Travel associated cases included malaria (1629), dengue fever (336), chikungunya (159), zika (7), West Nile virus (2), tick-borne encephalitis (2), oropouche (3) and Rickettsia (37). The locally acquired vector-borne diseases included only Lyme disease (1,168) and tick-borne encephalitis (2).
The report can be sourced at the UK government website.
The Australian picture
Australia also has a One Health strategy.
We can only view vector-borne diseases which are notifiable. These include several diseases which are included in the UK report.
In the last 12 months to April 12, 2026, the following human cases have been reported to our National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System (NNDSS): dengue fever (1,589), Chikungunya (165), malaria (425), Ross River Virus (1,804), Barmah Forest (247) and Japanese encephalitis (2). We can make our own assumptions on what diseases were most likely acquired overseas.
There would also be many cases that are asymptomatic or go unreported when the individual doesn't enter the health system.
The new Australian CDC will have a major role in implementing a One Health approach in the future.
Planning a trip where mosquito or tick-borne disease is a risk?
